The Fed tries to stop the bleeding

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The latest move by the Fed apPEared to work - for a few hours at least.

The announcement early Thursday morning that the Federal Reserve and several other foreign central banks were injecting $180 billion of cash into the market - on top of the $67 billion provided earlier this year - is the Fed's latest attempt to restore faith in the financial system.

The move follows the Fed's fevered, but ultimately failed, talks over the weekend to try and save Lehman Brothers (LEH, Fortune 500), the decision on Tuesday to hold interest rates steady and Tuesday night's stunning $85 billion loan to insurer AIG (AIG, Fortune 500).

Unlike those actions, the cash infusion seemed to soothe investor fears, albeit temporarily. U.S. stock markets all shot up Thursday morning, following a rise in EuroPEan stock markets.

But how long this sense of relief lasts is anybody's guess. In fact, stocks turned south by early afternoon before heading higher again.